Never taking uber again (rant)
I used to take uber from place to place from and to destinations. However, I had a really bad experience with them due to ableist attitudes towards adults with ASD (autism spectrum disorder). Uber has this things called ‘passenger ratings’, where drivers are able to rate passengers, like how passengers can rate drivers. Well, my rating has been really low, at 2 stars. I honestly had no reason why. I am not a rude person. I don’t slam doors, I don’t blast my music in the car, I don’t enter drunk, so what’s the problem? Well, uber drivers happen to love it when people are outgoing social butterflies, especially when they’re neurotypical. They expect everyone to understand every social cue. Well, sorry, if my autism is making that too hard for you. It inhibits me from understanding social cues, so if I don’t understand the ‘vibe’ within the uber or don’t feel like talking to the driver because of it, don’t give me a one-star rating. My autism isn’t noticeable when you first come across me, so many of these drivers don’t know I have it anyways. They just think I’m ‘rude’ for not understanding basic social cues, starting conversations, or waving a goodbye to them as I get out of the car. Honestly, whenever I take it, my passenger rate keep dropping and dropping, to the point where it became a 2/5. Let me tell you an incident that happened with uber. This was the last time I have ever used it, then I deleted the app and quit ever since.
The uber driver called me on my phone and asked me where we should meet. As he was a stranger, I began to stammer on the phone. He said rudely, “Speak up!” I took a few breaths, and told him to meet me at the curb. He then drove past me, and I called him again saying, “Hey. You just drove past me.” He rudely answered, “I know. I’m turning around.” So, as he parked in front of me, I got into his car, and he just looked at me as if he wanted me to say something. So I just said, “Hey.” in a very quiet manner. Some people interpret this as rude, and he most certainly did. He rolled his eyes, and I was just like ‘whatever dude’. So, I listened to music on my iPhone and did not say anything for the duration of the ride. Once we stopped, he rudely asked me, “Do I park, or...?” I told him to park in the front with a stammering voice. I got out of the car, and as I did, this son of a bitch gave me a one-star rating. When I previously had a 3.6, my rating dropped insanely low to a 2.9.
My ratings kept dropping at super low amounts due to my introverted, ‘socially awkward’ conduct. I’m obviously not gonna take it personally because I have a strong support group of really nice people who look at the positives of me, I don’t put a burden on anyone else in my life, and a stupid rating doesn’t define my character. Uber drivers obviously don’t accept passengers below a 4 star rating, so I just quit the app entirely saying, ‘Fuck you!’ to the system and submitting a one star review to the app store retelling this story. If you are autistic, introvert, or someone who has social anxiety, beware of uber. They don’t like people with an introverted demeanor, people who are shy, people who have social anxiety, nor do they like when people stammer in their speech. I have all of those characteristics, and that’s why they give me a shitty rating. Beware.
